Written Saturday 14/04/2007

ANDREW JOHNS

Another big lesson for rugby coaches last night,  Friday 13/04/2007,  from our rugby league counterparts.  I chose to listen to the ABC call of the Broncos/titans game,  so as to not have to put up with the trash that comes from the channel nine commentators.  During the pre match they had an interview done by Craig Hamilton,  with Andrew Johns.  Probably one of the best sporting interviews I have heard,  really like two mates sitting down having a chat,  a bit of reminiscence.  I understand they are mates,  and Hamilton was clearly affected emotionally by Andrew's recent retirement decision.

However,  on to the lesson for rugby coaches.  They also interviewed Michael Hagan and Warren Ryan,  former Newcastle coaches.  Warren Ryan is on the ABC commentary team so they didn't really interview him.  Obvious question though was,  "how do you coach an Andrew Johns",  both answered "you don't coach an Andrew Johns,  you work with him".

Ryan,  who I rate as one of the premier coaches and tacticians in the game of rugby league,  and did before Johns said he did too,  said you just don't coach someone with the skills and ability of a Johns.  He said he may have made some observations from time to time,  and what Andrew did with or made of those observations were his business.  He said it was imperative that you just let Andrew go out and play what was in front of him.  Great call Warren.

I think it is a marvellous lesson to most rugby coaches,  who are hell bent on coaching their style to players.  If you have a brilliant one,  you have to get in sync with him,  not vice versa,  and let them play what is in front of them.

Johns was a prodigious talent,  and was reasonably unique in the hard work he did in increasing and expanding that talent.

He is certainly one footballer I would go to watch as an individual,  and was lucky enough to watch his masterful display in 2006 in the Anzac test at Suncorp.

As I am someone that finds it difficult to separate athletes at the top of the tree,  Andrew remains in the top five footballers I have ever seen,  with no one to five in place.  If I were pushed to select he may end up number one,  but certainly in the last three,  with Lewis and Horan.  I am not quite old enough to have seen Gasnier and Churchill.  There are plenty of kids around today that are great athletes,  and I marvel at their performances and enjoy watching them play,  but when they are performing better than they are today in 10 or 12 years time,  they will then join my own personal immortals group,  and it's probably about more than just playing.  Read the book about Timmy Horan and what he did and the pain he suffered to come back from that terrible knee injury way back when,  and thEn talk about mental toughness.  Read McQueen's book about Horan getting off his sick bed in 1999 to play in the Semi final against South Africa,  and play like there was nothing wrong with  him, play an absolute blinding role in the game,   then discover aspects of mental toughness.

Johns spoke last week about consistency,  spoke about that consistency week in and week out,  spoke about the mental preparation required for that consistency each week.

The sporting world will miss Andrew Johns,  a legend in sport,  and icon of rugby league,  and if you get the chance to listen to the Hamilton interview,  seemingly reasonably humble.  He would have been the most key signing rugby could have made,  forget about cross code raids or any of that.  You want the best whether it be CEO or operator or whatever,  Johns was the best,  rugby couldn't seem to get the job right in the negotiation phase.

I Missed 100% of the Shots I Didn't Take,  Michael Jordan.